Oat huller



E. LORENZEN Sept. 8, 1931.

OAT HULLER Filed Dec. 8, 1927 2 sheets-sheet 1 P E.LORENZEN I 1,822,741

on HULLEH Filed Dec. 3, 19m 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 8, 1931 PATENT OFFICE EDYVAED LQRENZENQOF MARSHALLTOWN, IOWA OAT HULLER Application filed December 8, 1927. Serial No. 238,543.

This invention relates to a grain hulling machine and while the invention is applicable for hulling various kinds of grain, it par ticularly is designed for hulling oats. I

.t is desirable in .a grain huller to have a machine which will efficiently hull the grain, one having good capacity, and one which can be operated without excessive power. It is also desirable to have means by which the hulled grain and hulls can be effectively separated for the hulling operation.

It is an object of this invention, therefore, to provide a simple .and ef'icient grain hulling and separating device comprising a rotary hulling means of novel construction, and a separating means of novel construc tion.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a grain hulling device comprising a casing preferably cylindrical inform hav ing on its inner wall and extending partly therearound, a substantiallyparallel pro1ecting means and having on another portion of 'ts inner wall diverging ribs or projecting means, together with a rotary element in sa d casing moving in close proximity to said inner wall.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a grain hulling device comprising a casing preferably cylindrical in form, having a plurality of inlet openings spaced long1- tudinally thereof, and a plurality of outlet openings disposed between said inlet openings, said casing having on its inner wall a grain distributing and hulling means, together with a rotary member disposed in said casing having spaced circular members with circumferentially spaced bars extending longitudinally thereof. 7

It is still another. object of the invention to provide a grain hulling device comprising a novel rotary hulling means which delivers the hulled grain and hulls to the separating mechanism comprising a plurality of air blast devices and sieves.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and. in which I Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section of my machine approximately medial;

F ig, 2is a front elevation of the machine, with parts thereof broken away;

Fig. 3 is a perspective viewof the fixed hull stripping drum with parts broken awayand the inner rotatable co-actingstripping and propelling device removed; 7

Figs. 4 and 6 are respectively elevations or plans of the inner faces of the drum halves;

Figs. 5 and 7 are respectively cross sections of said drumhalves showing the heads there of; and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the inner rotatable co-acting stripping and propelling" device of said drum asremoved therefrom.

Referring to the drawings,-a grain hull ing and separating apparatus is disclosed, comprising a housing 1 having imperforate side walls. These walls, as well as the front and rear walls, are connected to and supported upon a base frame 3 formed of angle bars. The front wall 2 of the housing ter1ninates about one-half the total height of the housing and above this wall a-pair of closure members 6 and 8 are hinged at their lower and upper sides respectively, to abutting parts of the front opening frame 7. The upper portion of the front of thehousing 1 is braced by a cross angle bar 10 upon which is also supported the forward end of the hopper 18 disposed atthetop of the device. The lower and rear portion of said housing is closed by a metal plate 11 resting on and, connected to the bottom trans-verse angle bar 12 forming part of the frame 3. This frame is rectangular, and bar 12 extends across the housing horizontally. Above the plate 11 is a vertically disposed rectangular angle bar frame 15 which serves as a doorway and which has therein a downwardly and outwardly swinging door or closuremember 14a The oat huller proper comprises semi-cylindrical upper and lower portions 20-and 29respectively of a cylindrical casing having closed ends or heads 27 and 30 respectively,,and having outwardly directed longitudinal side flanges 21 adapted to be super-posed and which are apertured to receive the fastening bolts 22. The side flanges in the assembly are also bolted to the fixed underlying transverse angle bars 15 and 17. The end walls 27 and 30 have recesses 28 and 31 respectively providing bearing apertures in the assembled casing for a rotary shaft 32. This shaft extends centrally through said casing with its outer end seated in bearings 34 indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, which bearings are mounted on longitudinally extending fixed bars also shown in dotted lines in F 1. Shaft 32 has secured thereto a plurality of equally spaced disks 33 and 35 having c1rcumferentially spaced notches at their edges in which are secured the bars 34 extending transversely of said disks parallel with shaft 32. The rear transverse edge of the hopper 18 engages said casing adjacent the bottom thereof, and a short distance above the line of engagement, said casing, and specifically portion 29 thereof, is provided with a plurality of relatively narrow and longitudinally spaced inlet ports 24. Said portion also has formed therein a plurality of wider longitudinally alined outlet ports 25 circumferentially spaced from said inlet ports 24 and disposed therebetween. As shown in Fig. 4, half of the casing or drum 20 has on its inner wall a plurality of circumferentially arranged rows of spaced oblique ribs, the rows being alternated in oppositely inclined directions and the ends of said ribs being circumferentially alined with each other, converging in abutting substantially parallel rows. As shown in 6, the drum or casing portion 29 has projecting inwardly from the inner wall thereof circumferentially xtending ribs which extend between the inlet ports 24 and the outlet ports 25 The relation of the ribs 26 and 23 in the assembled casing is shown in the perspective view in Fig. 3.

i A comparatively small rotary shaft 19 extends transversely of the hopper 18 substantially parallel to the shaft 32, slightly in advance of the inlet ports 24 in the direction of rotation of the shaft 32, which shaft19 has radially extending members or teeth secured thereto, said shaft and teeth. forming a feeding means for directing grain into the casing.

' Project-ing forwardly and inwardly from the rear closure member 14 is a forwardly inclined shelf or plate 16 which overlaps a forwardly inclined slide or table 42. Plate 42'is disposed at the rear of the forwardly and rearwardly reciprocating housing or frame 41, carrying a plurality of inclined sieves for separating the clean grain from the unhulled grain and hulls delivered from the hulling casing. Theplate 42 is rigidly connected to a rearwardly inclined plate 53 which forms the upper wall of a transversely extending forwardly tapered conduit 52 forming the outlet of the fan casing 51 disposed below plate 42 and substantially in one corner of the housing. The shaft extends centrally through fan casing 51 and carries spaced spiders 57 carrying the fan blades or vanes 56. The shaft 55 also carries eccentrics 58 rotating in eccentric straps 59 secured to the rear ends of the arms which extend forwardly and have their forward portions secured by plates 61 to the sides of the reciprocating frame or housing 41. The frame 41 has rearwardly projecting side parts 40 at the ends of the inclined plate 42 and these side parts are engaged by the lower ends of hangers 38 pivoted to the angle bars 36, said hangers being pivotally connected to the parts 40 by the pivoted bearings 39. The plate 43, preferably adjustable, projects from the forward end of plate 42 and overhangs a downwardly and rearwardly inclined throat plate 44 carried in frame 41. A rearwardly inclined deflector plate 46 extends across frame 41 above the spaced plates 44 and 43 and provides a forwardly diminishing passage between plate 44 and an adjustable ledge portion or plate 45 thereof, and said deflector 46. Another and forwardly inclined deflector plate 47 extends fixedly across the frame 41 at the upper forward corner thereof. The forward end of the frame 41 is suspended on spring bar hangers 48 connected between the side bars 49 and the lower portion of the frame 41 at 50. The rear portion of the frame 41 is partially closed in front of conduit 52 of fan casing 51 by a vertically disposed transverse partition 54 having its top edge spaced slightly from said funnel to permit clearance therebetween for reciprocation'of the housing 41.

A multiple sieve device is positioned at a forward inclination in advance of an inclined plate 44 having its rear end disposed below the ledge plate 45. This sieve device comprises spaced plates 64, 65 and 66 which respectively carry sieve sections 62, 63 and 67 arranged in steps in a forward direction. A similar sieve device is supported to extend transversely across frame 41 below the first mentioned sieve device, and comprises a like Y arrangement of plates 69, 71 and 73, containing the stepped sieve sections 70, 72 and 74 and the second mentioned sieve device delivers from its top plate 69 forwardly into a depending synclinally arranged pair of chutes v 7 5 havingtheir separated lower ends adapted to deliver into a medial chute 84 having an upcurved lip which in turn delivers into an opening in one side wall of the blower casing 86 containing a rotary fan wheel comprising spiders 90 carrying vanes 91, said vanes being mounted on a shaft 89 extendingcentrally and longitudinally of casing 86 and rotated in a forward direction. Said fan casing 86 has a vent tube 92 at one end thereof. A pair of anti-clinally mounted chutes 68 extend transversely in the lower front portion of housing 1, spaced to permit passage therebetween of an upwardly extending pipe 87 which leads from the medial fan casing 86 and extends upwardly to the edge of hopper 18, having a deflecting plate 88 directing material into said hopper. The chutes 68 and casing 86 are shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Secured to the opposite ends of shaft 89 are fan wheels similar to the one in the casing 86, which latter fan wheels are encased in similar casings 9d and 95 respectively having in one side wall a central opening into which the lower ends of the chutes 68 respectively deliver. The ends of theshaft 89 revolve in the bearings 93.

Below the second mentioned sieve device is another sieve device inclined rearwardly, consisting of a large single sieve 76 supported on open framing in the frame 71 to deliver unhulled grain at the rear end into a transverse trough 79 having therein a screw conveyor 80 which delivers to one side of the housing. Clean grain passing through the lowermost sieve device is received in a like transverse trough 82 in which is also disposed a screw conveyor 83 which delivers to the same side of the housing 1 as conveyor 80. Troughs 79 and 82 are fixedly supported in the lower portion of housing 1, both in front of the blower casing 51.

In operation the unhulled grain such as unhulled oats, is deposited in the hopper 18 and power applied to the machine so that shafts 19, and 55 and the parts carried thereby are rotated, thus reciprocating the frame 11 and the parts therein, and conveyors 80 and 83 are also driven. The rotation of the shaft 19 with its arms propels the grain into the inlet ports 24; of the hulling casing. Shafts 32 with the parts 33 and 34 carried thereby, are rotated in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 1, bars 34 moving closely R adjacent ribs 26 and 23. The grain passes into the portion 29 of the casing and the rotating members '32 revolve at-a speed of approximately 800 revolutions per minute. The grain is engaged by the transverse bars J 34, and propelled downwardly and around the casing, the disks 35 dividing the grain evenly along the length of the easing into a thin layer, and the grain travels around the casing in the zones defined by the ribs 23 at each side of the inlet ports. The grain continues around the casing until it meets the obliquely disposed ribs 26 on the upper half of the casing. It will be seen that the grain meets the converging ends of the ribs 23 i or the vertices formed by the pairs of said ribs, so that the grain is deflected from circumferential alinement withtheinlet ports and is directed into alinement with the outlet ports and discharges therethrough, and it will be seen that the grain has passed a slight distance more than once around the casing. A beating action of the bars 34in co-action with the Wall of the casing and the ribs 26 efi'ectively remove the hulls from the unhulled grain in the casing, so that the clean grain, the hulls, and any small portion of unhulled grain which might still be in the casing passes from the outlet ports in a mixture upon the table or plate 42 and this mixture then passes to the cleaning devices.

The said mixture passes down plate 42 and off the end of plate 43 where it meets a blast of air from the fan in the casing 51 as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 and this blast of air blows the lighter removed hulls forwardly into the upper portion of the frame 41 onto the top of the uppermost sieve device. Some of the lighter material passing over the uppermost sieve plate 62, into the chutes 68 as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1. This material is then delivered into the fan casings 94 and 92, and thence forwardly by way of the rear delivery device 95. Most all of the clean or hulled grain, together with the unhulled grain, passes ontothe screen plate 44 and is directed therefrom downwardly and rearwardly to the second sieve device and onto the sieve plate 69. Any hulled or unhulled grain which is blown over the plates 14 and 415 will pass onto the upper sieve device onto the top plate 6 1 and will pass successively through the sieves in plates 64, 65, and 66 and will then drop down onto a top plate 69 of the second sieve device and be delivered into chutes 75. The hulls and matter separated from the grain in the first sieve device will pass into the chutes 68. The hulled and unhulled grain delivered onto the second sieve device will be separated, the hulled grain passing through the sieves and being delivered onto the lower sieve 76 while the unhulled grain will pass from the second sieve device into the chutes 75. The hulled grain will pass through the final sieve 76 into thetrough 82 and will be delivered by the conveyor 83. Any unhulled grain which may drop upon sieve 76 Will be delivered to the trough 7 9 and willbe moved therethrough by conveyor 80. It will be noted that both unhulled grain and hulls as removed from some of the hulled grain are delivered by the co-acting chutes 75 and 84 into the middle fan casing 86. The speed of rotation of the shaft 89 is determined and regulated so that While the content of removed hulls is driven out through pipe 95, the unhulled grain in said casing is propelled by sufficient concentric force to be driven upwardly through the pipe 87 to be delivered thence into the hopper 18 for another treatment in the hulling casing 29. In the continuous operation of the apparatus all such unhulled grain is thus sub jected to a repeated action so that all grain is finally hulled and cleaned of the hulls.

From the above description it is seen that applicant has provided a very simple and-eflicient hulling apparatus. The machine has a large capacity and at the same time does not require a great deal of power for operation. The grain is quickly and efliciently hulled and cleaned.

It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in a device capable of carrying out the objects above set forth, in the novel parts and combinations of parts disclosed and defined in the appended claims.

lVhat is claimed is 1. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a closed hollow relatively fixed drum having in its forward lower wall part a relatively narrow longitudinal inletport and in its rear lower circumferential wall part a wider longitudinal outlet port, having a plurality of rows of converging spirally disposed inwardly projecting ribs on its upper inner circumferential wall to defl'ect grain to the. outlet-port, and having a plurality of rows of spaced semi-annular ribs projecting inwardly from its lower circumferential wall to divide said grain into portions before being discharged between said spiral ribs, a central disk-carrying longitudinal shaft rotatably mounted in sald drum between its closed end walls, and spaced longitudinal bars connecting the edges of said disks, the disks moving near said ribs to both propel the grain around the interior of the drum abutting its inner wall and also co-acting with said ribs to remove the gram hulls by impact and deliver the mixture of cleaned grain and removed hulls by way of the outlet-port.

2. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a fixed closed hollow sectional drum having an inlet and'an outlet in its circumferential wall, said drum having hull stripping devices upon one part of its inner circumference and having partitional devices upon another part of its inner circumference, a rotatable device within the drum having propelling means therein for unhulled grain introduced within the drum through said inlet, and adapted to co-act with said stripping devices and said partitional devices to both strip the hulls from the unhulledgrain by impact, and separate the grain content into portions while ,propelling the mixture of cleaned grain and removed hulls to and through said outlet, and arotary propeller for propelling unhulled 5 grain into said inlet.

. 3. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a fixed closed hollow drum having a plurality of alined longitudinal inlet ports and having another plurality of alined longitudinal outlet ports spaced circumferentially from the inlet ports, said drum having on the inner circumferential wall of its lower half containing both sets of ports semi-annular ribs separating the inlet ports from the outlet ports longitudinally, and having on the inner circumferential wall of its upper half obliquely disposed ribs arranged in oppositely directed rows to serve both as stripping means by impact for the unhulled grain and as inclined guides for directing the cleaned grain and separated hulls into said outlet ports, and a rotary driving and. co-acting structure mounted in said drum to propel the unhulled grain around the interior of the drum along its inner wall to said outlet ports while contactingly stripping by impact the grain of its hulls, in coaction with said ribs.

4C. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a fixed hollow drum having circumferentially separated inlet and outlet ports, and having on its inner circumferential wall grain engaging projections, and

a rotatable body mounted in said drum having longitudinal peripheral bars mounted upon longitudinally spaced imperforate disks, the bars adapted to rotate in close proximity to the said wall projections to coact therewith in stripping by impact hulls from unhulled grain within the drum and in propelling the mixture of grain and hulls through said outlet ports said disks acting to evenly distribute the grain.

5. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a fixed hollow drum having circumferentially separated inlet and outlet ports, said inlet ports being longitudinally spaced and disposed respectively between said outlet ports and a rotatable body mounted in said drum having peripheral parts adapted to sweep the inner wall of the drum in spaced relation thereto to coact therewith in hulling by impact unhulled grain while carrying the mixture composing the contents of the drum to and through said outlet ports.

6. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a fixed hollow drum having both inlet and outlet ports in its circumferential wall, a rotatable structure mounted centrally in said drum having parts which move close to the inner wall of the drum to propel grain circumferentially around it, and having longitudinally spaced partitions to evenly distribute the grain along the length of the drum, said structure coacting with the drum in removing hulls by impact from unhulled grain, and to then deliver the same by way of said outlet ports.

7. In a machine of the character described, in combination, a fixed hollow drum having a plurality of inlet and'a plurality of outlet ports, said inlet ports being disposed respectively between said outlet ports longitudinally ofsaid drum, and said'inlet and outlet ports being spaced apart circumferentially, devices upon the inner wall of the drum to serve as hull removing elements by impact, and a coacting body rotatably mounted in said drum to propel grain around 1ts interior wall from the inlet to the outlet ports while co-acting with said drum devices in removing hulls from the unhulled grain by impact.

8. A grain hulling machine having 1n combination, a cylindrical casing having a plurality of inlet ports, spaced longitudinally thereof, and having a plurality of spaced outlet ports disposed respectively between said inlet ports and circumferentially spaced therefrom, circumferentially extending projecting means on the wall of said casing between said inlet and outlet ports respectively and adjacent said inlet ports in the direction of travel of the material, circumferentially extending projecting means on the wall of said casing for deflecting material from alinement with said inlet ports into alinement with said outlet ports, and a rotating means in said casing moving in close proximity to said projecting means.

9. The structure set forth in claim 8, said outlet ports being of greater length than said inlet ports.

.10. A grain hulling machine having in combination, a cylindrical casing having a plurality of inlet ports, spaced longitudinally thereof, and having a plurality of spaced outlet ports disposed respectively between said inlet ports and circumferentially spaced therefrom, a cylinder rotatable in said casing, circumferentially extending spaced ribs on the interior of said casing disposed in a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said casing and additional ribs on the interior of said casing between said inlet and outlet ports, diverging in the direction of the movement of said cylinder.

11. A grain hulling machine having in combination, a cylindrical casing, a rotatable member in said casing, comprising a central shaft, longitudinally spaced disks, and a plurality of circumferentially spaced bars carried by said disks adjacent the edges thereof and adapted to move adjacent the wall of said casing.

12. A grain hulling machine having in combination, a cylindrical casing, a rotatable member in said casing, comprising a central shaft, longitudinally spaced disks and a plurality of circumferentially spaced members carried by and extending between said disks adjacent the edges thereof and adapted to move adjacent the wall of said casing.

13. A grain hulling machine, having in combination, a substantially cylindrical casing formed of separable semi-cylindrical sections, one section having spaced circumferentially extending ribs on its interior disposed on a plane substantially perpendicular to the axis of said cylinder, and the other section having sets of diverging ribs on its interior, the ribs in each of said sets having their ends closely adjacent and extending substantially parallel.

14. The structure set forth in claim 13. Said first mentioned ribs being arranged in pairs, and the closely adjacent ends of said second mentioned ribs being disposed in a line substantially midway between said pairs.

15. The structure set forth in claim 13. Said sections having longitudinally spaced inlet ports and longitudinally spaced outlet ports disposed between said inlet ports and circumferentially spaced from said inlet ports.

16. A grain hulling machine having in combination, a cylindrical casing having in one circumferential portion thereof longitudinally spaced inlet ports, a plurality of longitudinally spaced outlet ports disposed respectively between said inlet ports, ribs on said portion of said cylinder extending circumferentially at each side of said outlet ports and circumferentially between said inlet and outlet ports respectively, the other circumferential portion of said cylinder having a plurality of sets of ribs, the ribs of each set diverging from a circumferential line and arranged to direct the grain to the outlet ports and rotatable means in said casing for propelling the grain.

17. A grain hulling machine having in combination, a cylindrical casing having in one circumferential portion thereof a plurality of longitudinally spaced inlet ports and a plurality of longitudinally spaced outlet ports spaced circumferentially from said inlet ports and disposed respectively between said inlet ports, inwardly and circumferentially extending parallel members on said casing separating said inlet and outlet ports and inwardly and circumferentially extending members on the other portion of said casing for directing grain from said inlet ports to said outlet ports, said latter members extending helically of said casing and rotatable means in said casing for propelling grain.

In testimony whereof I afl'ix my signature.

EDWARD LORENZEN. 

